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That would be on top of any out for vacation, sick leave or court duty
How'd we figure that? The 2009 available force is 742. They each must take 10 furlough days = 7,420 days
Divide the number of days to be taken by 365 days in the year = 20.3 officers per day
* * *
The proposal could be the equivalent loss of 30 officers for a year.
That's how interim Chief Alex Hayes figures it. His calculations:
A force of 775 x the 80 hours each would be furloughed = 62,000 hours lost work hours
An officer works 2,080 hours a year (40 hours a week x 52 weeks)
Divide furlough hours by the standard workload = 29.8 officers
Public safety in Omaha would be at risk under a plan for all police officers to take 10 furlough days next year, interim Chief Alex Hayes said Wednesday.
Investigations probably would be slower because detectives would have to be shifted to uniform patrols, he said, and overtime costs are likely to increase.
Hayes said the furloughs would be the equivalent of losing 30 officers and six civilian employees for the entire year.
“The current proposal would have a negative impact on public safety for the citizens of Omaha,” Hayes said.
Five City Council members who proposed the furloughs for police, firefighters and all other city employees acknowledged that public safety could take a hit.
But they are hoping that “creative” management by the Police Department will minimize the risk.
“We're not even going to pretend that it's going to be the same,” said Councilman Franklin Thompson. “There are going to be some times when there are fewer officers on the street.”
Thompson and his four fellow council members said constituents have made it loud and clear they do not want a tax increase to deal with the city's financial woes.
However, a World-Herald Poll in April found that 62 percent of Omaha residents were willing to pay more in property taxes to hire 100 additional police officers.
Council members said furloughs seemed more humane and practical than layoffs and deeper service cuts.
A positive trade-off , the council members said, is that the helicopter unit would not be grounded in 2010, as it will be for the rest of this year starting Sept. 6. Eighty-six police recruits would be hired as scheduled in 2010, and 44 cruisers would be purchased.
The five council members said the 10 days of unpaid leave would apply to all city departments and save an estimated $7.8 million.
Other proposed cuts would shave a total of nearly $11.7 million from next year's budget.
The furlough plan came the day after the council shot down Mayor Jim Suttle's proposed entertainment tax on a 6-1 vote. Councilman Ben Gray was the sole member voting for the tax.
The proposed furloughs and budget cuts were announced by council members Pete Festersen, Garry Gernandt, Chuck Sigerson, Jean Stothert and Thompson.
They said the savings would mean restoration of other services, including swimming pools and library hours, and funding for several nonprofit organizations.
The furloughs would have to be negotiated with the police and fire unions and the other employee unions. The council members urged Suttle to do so.
Suttle said he would listen to the council's ideas.
Gernandt, a retired police officer, said he had concerns about potential public safety gaps. Already the Police Department — currently authorized at 813 officers — is less than full strength.
Hayes said the department is short more than 70 officers and 23 civilian employees from its budgeted strength. The shortage of officers is the result of retirements, military leave and long-term medical problems, he said.
The department faces the possibility of losing an additional 70 officers who are eligible for retirement by January, Hayes said.
Gernandt thinks police assignments can be adjusted to minimize hazards.
He recommended moving personnel around so as not to harm uniform patrols, which he called the “backbone of any law enforcement agency.”
“I would be putting my faith into the creative management side of our police chief,” Gernandt said.
Councilman Chuck Sigerson said Hayes would have to assess crime statistics and ensure adequate staffing at peak times. Furloughs don't have to be taken at two-week or even weeklong intervals, he noted.
The Omaha police union estimated that the furloughs would mean a reduction of 61,920 hours in police services in 2010.
Union president Aaron Hanson said overtime costs would increase because police still would need to respond to 911 calls and crimes still would have to be investigated.
“It's going to either happen with officers on the street or overtime,” Hanson said of the workload. “My fear is that the unintended consequences would be a significant increase in overtime.”
Steve LeClair, fire union president, noted that issues like furloughs and minimum firetruck staffing have to be negotiated. Suttle said Wednesday that he and the firefighters union are weeks away from finalizing all areas of the union's contract.
Suttle, however, announced that the fire union had agreed to a wage freeze for 2009 and 2010. Under the deal, firefighters would get annual wage hikes from 2011 through 2013.
LeClair said the council was asking a lot of firefighters, in light of the wage freeze.
“I don't know what more they want,” he said. “They (firefighters) got zero-zero.”
Omaha's largest civilian union agreed last week to wage freezes for 2009, 2010 and 2011. The mayor also has asked the police union for a wage freeze.
Besides the furlough plan, the council members propose cutting about $1.9 million from the Fire Department, including holding off on buying a new aerial truck.
Councilman Chris Jerram proposed many of the Fire Department cuts last week. Jerram was traveling Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.
Gray said in an interview that he disagreed with his colleagues' budget cut proposals but declined to elaborate.
He said Tuesday, in backing the 2 percent entertainment tax, that the city needs to find a way to generate additional revenue to deal with its budget problems.
World-Herald staff writer Maggie O'Brien contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com
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